A UAE company with big ambitions to rival Tesla on the global stage of production of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots unveiled its latest off-road hybrid military vehicle in Abu Dhabi.
The Eneron Magnus border patrol vehicle has been built from scratch in the UAE in under three months and is a marker for autonomous electric military vehicles of the very near future.
The concept car is the latest project from government owned Kintsugi Holding, that specialises in autonomous ground transport and the development of humanoid robots that can perform laborious, and dangerous tasks currently completed by humans.
The speciality vehicles have been developed in partnership with the UAE National Guard, and were on show at the Idex defence and security conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday, which was attended by President Sheikh Mohamed, as well as Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, who were briefed on a number of the defence systems on display.
What sets the Magnus aside from other autonomous transport is its sleek muscular looks, bulletproof Kevlar shell and 800km range thanks to an electric battery and on board diesel generator.
Composite panels on either side of the vehicle are engineered to pair with ballistic steel and a composite chassis, providing level two ballistic protection from landmines and other incendiary devices.
Its six-seater cabin is similar in size to the Tesla Cybertruck, which is also electric, and can be brought for about $81,000. Kintsugi would not reveal how much the Magnus cost to develop or how much it would retail at, if it becomes commercially available.
More than 20 cameras offer a 360 degree of the outside, while ladar and radar sensors have the vehicle ready for autonomous driving, and an escape hatch in the roof allows for a quick emergency exit.
A futuristic interior features a high-tech digital cockpit design, purpose-built for border patrol operations, while a multifunctional steering wheel and a 10.4-inch central touchscreen with hotkeys is designed for intuitive accessibility.
Sean Teo, managing director of Kintsugi Holding, said common problems with using electric batteries to power heavy armour plated vehicles has been the drain on power, and resulting short range.
“We wanted to completely reinvent the military vehicle,” Mr Teo, told The National. “People said it was crazy to design a vehicle like this because one of the biggest challenges was generating enough torque. When you're going uphill, after a while the electricity becomes too hot. So we’ve had to refine the entire design to overcome the heat issue by adding a diesel generator.”
Electric power
An electric motor provides 800KW of power, generating a top speed of 130kph and acceleration from a standing start to 100kph in just seven seconds.
Abu Dhabi police has commissioned a smaller version of the Magnus, the Magnum, that can be used for motorway patrols, and emergency response, while Civil Defence is also said to be interested in adding the vehicle to its fleet.
Michael Robinson, a design consultant for Kintsugi, brought his 45 years of experience in the Italian car market to develop the Magnus’s eye-catching looks.
“It's a giant vehicle, much larger than anything I've ever worked on before, so it's already in a different class,” he said. “I wanted to bring in a new architecture into this industry which tends to be very boxy, with flat, vertical windshields. The entire body is done in Kevlar, so it's very structurally robust and gives the possibility to do muscular, aggressive shapes.
"It is 100 per cent EV hybrid, with one electric engine in the front axle and one in the rear axle, but the diesel just charges the battery up so we can do 800km which is amazing in such a big beast. We did this in record time, six months to do the engineering on this thing and then three months to build it.”
Robo taxis
Kintsugi said it is in talks to fill the gap in the autonomous taxi market left behind by the issues faced with Cruise, the US self-driving vehicle manufacturer that was trialling routes for its driverless cars in Dubai.
In 2023, regulators in California ordered Cruise – a subsidiary of General Motors – to stop its driverless taxi service in San Francisco after a near fatal incident with a pedestrian who was dragged several metres by the autonomous vehicle.
Mr Teo said the failure of others to develop safe driverless vehicles had created an opportunity for robotaxis built in the UAE by Kintsugi.
“This (Cruise incident) made it all the more important to make sure that we manufacture these vehicles locally, so we can control the availability and quality of services,” he said. “By the end of June you should see about 20 of these vehicles running around the island (Abu Dhabi).”
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• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Available: Now
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Specs%20
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Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
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Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
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